Car door



Jan. 20, 1948.

F. H. LANGE CAR DOOR F-led Ag. 23, 1944 Patentecl Jan. 20, 1948 CAR DOOR Ferdinand H. Lange, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., assignor of one-third to William L. Teeter, Kingston, and one-third to B. B. Grontkowski, Hazleton,

Applioation August 23, 1944, Serial No. 550,803

1 Claim.

The present invention appertains 1:0 new and useful improvements in freight car doors, the principal object of the invention being to provide a car door which can be moved easily and safely and which will have practically no tendency to bind under any circumstances.

Another important object of the invention is 1:0 provide a car door of the sliding type wherein, due to the provision of spring-supported rollers, the possibilty of vibration and rattling is reduced to a minimum.

Other objects and advantages of the invention shall become apparent to the reader of the following description.

In the drawing:

Fgure 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the door and a portion of a freight cai, with the upper guide partly in section.

Figure 2 is a section taken substantially on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a secton taken substantially on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawing, wherein like numerals designate like parts, it can be seen that numeral 5 denotes a conventional freight car or the 1ike. Numeral 6 generally refers to the improved door which is operative over a door opening 1 in the side of the car 5. More specifieally, the door 6 includes improved-upper and lower guides generally referred to by numerals 8 and 9.

The guide 9, as shown in Figure 3, consists of an elongated rail I I] supported by an outstanding shelf Il projecting from an elongated attaching plate l2 this plate having openings therein for the reception of attaching bolts or the like I 3. At frequent intervals, the shelf II has openings I4 therein for the purpose of drainage and so that any accumulation of foreign matter can be easily cleaned from the shelf.

The rail I is beveled upwardly on both of its sides to conform with the cross sectional shape of the grooved portions of rollers I5, each roller I5 having a groove, the side walls of which flare outwarclly.

The rollers are mounted on axles I 6 which bridge skirt plates H, I! depending from opposite sides of the lower edge of the door 6 and which are secured to the door 6 by rivets or bolts The upper guide structure 8 consists of a car attached elongated plate I9 having an outstanding flange portion 29 and this at its outer portion has a depending longitudinally extending skirt 2 I.

Secured by rivets or the like 22 to the under side of the fiange is a crank plate 23. A depending rib 24 extending longtuclinally on the plate 23 serves as a track for upper rollers 25.

The upper rollers 25 are mounted wthin bifurcated end portions 26 of elongated strip spring arms 21 which extend in opposite directions from a channeled member 28, ths member being secured by rivets or bolts 29 to the intermediate portion of the upper part of the door 6. These spring arms 2l serve to hold the rollers 25 snugly against the track 24.

11; w1l be observed that the track 24 is beveled downwardly on its opposite side to conform With the outvvardly flaring side walls of the groeve of each roller 25.

Obviously, there is positively no chance of the door jumping the guide structure and due to the provision of the spring arms 27 and the roller 25, there will be practically no likelhood of vibration or rattling of the door 6.

While the foregong specificatons sets forth the invention in specific terms, it is to be understood that numerous changes in the shape, size, and materials may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed hereinafter.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

A door assembly for railway rolling stock oomprising a door panel, an elongated spring having at its intermediate portion a pair of parallel downwardly extending flanges bolted to the intermediate porton of the upper edge margin of the panel and having bifurcated ends, a roller journaled in and between the bifurcations of each spring end and having a peripheral groove tapering inwardly, a guiding track for the panel and including a horizontal portion overlying the upper edge of the panel and a vertcal fiange overlap ping the upper margin of the front side of the door, a crank plate afixed at its upper side to the lower side of the horizontal portion of the track and having on its lower side a longitudinal rib of downwarclly tapering transverse connection, said rib for engaging in the grooves of the rollers.

FERDINAND H. LANGE.

REFERENCES CI'IED The following references are of record in the file of ths patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 554,932 Jaeger Feb. 18, 1896 724,858 Hanrahan Apr. 7, 1903 1221,960 Bethune et al Apr. 10, 1917 1400699 Test Deo. 20, 1921 2023873 De Haven Dec. 10, 1935 1,068888 Glowacki July 29, 1913 11388 23 Williams May 11, 1915 1,562,523 Slappey Nov. 24, 1925 

